What's your communication technique?

Got technique?

Diligence is key. Persistence. These traits often win conversations—and close business. But without an effective, repeatable communications technique you're dead in the water.

Not able to interrupt—start conversations from cold with customers?

Not good at keeping existing conversations alive—or re-starting them?

You're done.

True, many of today's top producers hate prospecting. Some loathe it. But they have a reliable method to use over-and-over... to provoke email and voicemail replies.

They may not love prospecting. But they don't fear it. They don't rely on pumping out emails containing regurgitated marketing prose either.

Instead, today's best performers are figuring ways to help prospects feel an urge to ask for more. They have a way to spark curiosity from go.

Your 'fix' may be this simple

Tough love for you. You need a way of writing (and speaking) that sometimes breaks rules.

Starting conversations, today, forces you to stand out from every other clown out there. You cannot use the same LAZY technique they do. You'll blend in to the crap.

Prospects want to avoid your call, delete your email and "just Google it" when they're in need. Because they are inundated with CRAP. Let me say that again. They are being spammed with crap. People like you PUSHING.

You've got to PULL. It's that simple.​

I know. You need to get in-the-game early. And you're not pushing crap. Maybe you can help customers navigate their decision-making process... better than they can alone.

Ok.​ Awesome. 

That means you need an effective, graceful way to interrupt and spark curiosity in prospects... using email, phone, voicemail and LinkedIn. If you're serious about improving why not join us in an online forum dedicated exclusively to sharing "what's provoking replies lately."

One size fits all (seriously)

One of my students, Glen Scotzin, sells telecommunications services to small business owners. Another, Mark Lentell, VP of Services at Accucode, sells multi-million dollar IT deals.

But they each use the same, basic technique to earn replies from prospects using LinkedIn, email and voicemail.

Are there scripts the same? Not exactly. Are their sales cycles different? Dramatically. Price point is also very, very different. But their communications tactic is simple:

And it works. Mostly because Glen and Mark both:

The psychology of prospecting

Customers ignoring you? There's a reason. A really, really good one.

Customer behavior is driven by what they experience. If they experience emails like yours all day long they have been trained to delete them. For example:

The above message is:

You're a busy person. How busy are your targets? Let's say three to six people per week asked for your time—so they could get to know you.

Would you have the time to spare? If yes, for how many of them—each week?

The ask (for a meeting) is too big. Way too big. It is also without a compelling reason.

The reason is terrible: It is in the selfish interest of Ankur to sell something to Jane.

Your customers see through you

Think about your inbox. Whether sellers directly state it (or imply) a LinkedIn connection request isn't really about getting to know you as a friend. This is about getting to know you—to sell something to you.

Sharon Drew Morgen is a buying psychology expert. She says there's too much focus on building relationships when trying to sell. Instead, relationships are outcomes of effective conversation-starting tactics. Focus on a better tactic instead.

“As a carryover from Dale Carnegie, relationship building has been used as a ploy to manipulate a sale,” says Ms. Morgen. “If buyers like us, the thinking goes, they’ll buy. But everyone knows your pretending. Your relationship will not facilitate a sale.”

Here's the rub:

1. Buyers cannot buy unless they have managed their internal change management challenges.

2. Buyers know you're motivated by an agenda to sell something.

But this can be overcome. Not by becoming a completely un-biased person. Instead, Ms. Morgen promotes a better method. A more honest one. Why not learn it with me... in an online class?

Asking un-biased questions.

Picture yourself asking questions that don't relate to your agenda. Instead, the questions are hyper-focused on the potential buyer's “decision-making tree.”

Ms. Morgen rightly calls such questions “facilitative.” This flavor of question is the key to facilitating conversation that puts buyers in charge.

What Ankur should have written

So in our example, here's what Ankur should have written to start a conversation with Janet.

The above message is:

What's the most prominent trait of today's best sellers?

Communications technique.

Make yourself indescribable to your employer. Put more money in the bank. Make yourself attractive to future employers.

Do it. Today. Develop a communications method to start conversations exploiting all tools: email, phone/voicemail, LinkedIn and direct mail.

Use the above bullets as your guide. These are the success principles. Put them to work in your environment today!